Eighth Street Middle School

TIFTON, GA – The Georgia Department of Education officially released 2024-2025 Milestones Scores on August 08, 2025, and the results for Tift County Schools are impressive. “These results are a testament to the hard work and commitment our system has made to providing a high quality educational experience for our students,” stated Superintendent Natalie Gore, “and more importantly to the incredible effort our teachers, staff, and administrators made to ensure our students were well-supported and achieved.”

Over the past year, Tift County Schools has engaged in focused work to increase teacher collaboration developing and utilizing common assessments to drive instructional planning, providing opportunities for professional development for all professionals through job-alike meeting structures, and beginning to acquire and implement district-wide instructional resources in core classes.  “We have invested in the development of our professionals, and we are thrilled in the growth we are seeing- both in the practices of our teachers and the outcomes of our students,” states Gore.    

Tift County schools realized year over year increases in the percentage of students performing at the proficient and distinguished levels (not inclusive of retests) in the following tested areas:

• American Literature

• Biology

• Algebra 1

• 8th grade Math, Science & Social Studies

• 7th grade ELA

• 6th grade ELA and Math

• 5th grade Math and Science

When examining the percentage of students reading on grade level, after the first test administration in April, Tift County Schools saw year to year growth in American Literature, 4th grade, 6th grade, and 7th grade levels. After the re-test administration in late May, that list grew to include every single tested grade level/course.

“We celebrate these accomplishments, and we know our work is not done. We remain focused on continuous improvement and are optimistic about the impact current efforts will have for our outcomes in ELA, particularly at the elementary level,”  explains Superintendent Gore. Current statewide and system efforts to improve literacy instruction at the elementary level provides promise. During the 2024-2025 school year, all elementary teachers across the state engaged in a year-long study of teaching reading transitioning to a science of reading approach.  Tift County teachers also received and were trained on a new Reading core resource, specifically Into Reading by HMH, and three cohorts of teachers engaged in LETRS training, which provides more intensive focus in the Science of Reading as well as onsite observations and coaching sessions for participants. As such, in the 2025-2026 school year, all elementary school teachers in Tift are starting the school year trained in research-based structured literacy. Additionally, for the 2025-2026 school year, Georgia's K-12 ELA teachers will implement new standards incorporating the Science of Reading.

Tift made gains in 5th, 6th, 8th grade math and Algebra. This was the second year of teaching Georgia’s new K-12 math standards. Teachers have been training on a new math core resource, HMH Into Math, and will use it for instruction for the first time this year. “We appreciate the budgetary commitments our Board of Education is making to support our adoption and purchase of Core Resources in ELA and Math, so our teachers and students have instructional materials from which to teach”, explains Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Jennifer Howell.  "Access to quality instructional materials is ensured for all students from classroom to classroom and school to school by providing every teacher with a consistent planning resource."  This allows  teachers to focus on planning instruction rather than having to search for instructional materials.